Food 4 Thought is an urban organic garden matching program that started in the Kitsilano neighbourhood in the spring of 2020, matching keen apartment dwelling gardeners with welcoming house owners or tenants who have yard space. Upon joining Food 4 Thought, gardeners get a space (that’s much bigger than 2-by-4-feet!) to grow organic, nutritious vegetables; the homeowners, also known as garden hosts, get to look out into a beautiful, colourful, and lush yard.
The COVID-19 pandemic gave interior designer Camille much needed time to realize this long-time idea. At that time, she felt a calling to put it all together. She listened to the whisper in her ear (possibly by a hummingbird, a ladybird, or the fig tree in her backyard!) and took action. She received support from the Kitsilano Neighbourhood Small Grants program and matched their first 15 gardeners to homeowners. What started as a part-time passion project has grown into a full-time lifestyle. Now, going into their 4th growing season, they have over 100 matches in the city, from Dunbar and Kerrisdale to the west, to South Main, Renfrew-Collingwood, and Hastings-Sunrise to the east.
To Camille and James, it is important to do it organically, without chemicals and without disrupting nature’s processes. Some of the techniques James teaches to gardeners include no-till, no-dig, cover cropping, seed saving, mulching, and composting. He also teaches gardeners to use natural amendments and remedies, which takes a lot more curiosity, observation, and experimenting than blindly applying pesticides, fertilizers, or other chemicals as bandaids and quick fixes. A Food 4 Thought garden doesn’t only transform a bare lawn into a food forest, it brings back plant, insect, bird, soil — life — into a highly urbanized city.
Food 4 Thought doesn’t receive any external funding. James and Camille are a two-person team who devote everything to the project. They rely heavily upon word of mouth for promotion, donations for operations, and a group of dedicated and big-hearted volunteers for administrative support, as well as physical help with their own backyard garden. Camille says, ‘We are forever grateful to all our volunteers for the time they set aside to assist us in this important work and community call to action.’ Knowing James and Camille, they always give more than they get. Volunteers go home with potted plants of herbs, fresh produce, figs, plant cuttings, seeds, compost, and a wealth of gardening wisdom and know-how.
If you live in or near Vancouver, BC, and are interested in joining this microcosm of regenerative urban growers, or if you would like to start a garden matching program in your city, please reach out to James and Camille at garden4food4thought@gmail.com. Follow their community transformation on Instagram.